His Salvation
by thunderbolt-sunshine
Summary: After being stabbed by Gideon in the past Chris makes it back to the future he saved where he has to find a way to face the brother he hates and to let Leo and the sisters in on the last, biggest secret he's been keeping from them.
1. Chapter 1

"_CHRIS! CHRISTOPHER PERRY HALLIWELL! YOU GET YOUR BUTT HERE RIGHT NOW!" _

"_Chris, please do as your mother says!" _

"_Come on, bro. Get in touch! What's wrong with you?" _

"_Chrissy, why are you ignoring us?"_

* * *

Chris could hear his parents, brother and sister calling for him but he had turned them out, ignoring them. He'd long since blocked them so they couldn't come to him either. Next they would probably try summoning him but even if mom got her sisters to come around so they could use a power of three spell it wouldn't work. It wouldn't work even if Wyatt, his twice blessed brother, tried summoning him.

Now that Chris had embraced all his powers he knew that he was more powerful than his older brother. Actually he probably had been all his life but while Wyatt had revelled in their mighty power Chris had feared it and only ever used a small amount when they were younger which was probably what had led to everyone assuming he was by far the weaker of the two Halliwell brothers. Now, though Chris knew that he was strong. He'd had to be. Nobody else had been willing to stand up to Wyatt so he had taken on the task himself and won.

Chris knew that he was worrying his family, isolating himself like this. He may have blocked himself from tracking and summoning but he had left enough of himself clear so they would be able to sense that he was alive and healthy. That wouldn't be enough for his mother, though. It would have to be for now, however. Chris was sorry for worrying her but he really had no idea what to say to the family at the moment.

Until a few days ago the last thing Chris remembered was being more than 20 years in the past, lying on mom and Leo's bed, bleeding to death. He'd identified the bastard who'd turned Wyatt evil but Gideon had gotten the drop on him, stabbing him with a cursed athame and orbing away. After almost nine years the end of the war against Wyatt was in sight but Chris knew he wasn't going to live to see it.

The next thing he knew, though he was in elderland, having his wound healed by Sandra, probably the most reasonable elder to have ever existed. Unlike the rest of her colleagues she seemed to remember what it was like to be human so she was never as unreasonable in her demands of the Halliwells as the others elders. As a result she was the only elder that Chris had ever liked.

When Wyatt massacred the elders Sandra had been the first to go so when Chris saw her he assumed he'd died from the stab wound and seeing as he'd died in the past he wasn't going to be allowed to go to the heavens in his own time, presumably where his loved ones were. Apparently, though he was wrong. According to Sandra he had done just enough in the past to ensure that the future was saved and just before he died magic had brought him back to his own time so she could heal him. After exactly nine years of war Chris was finally free to live his life.

Right now, though the only life Chris remembered was one where his brother had been a raving lunatic and not even the elders seemed sure whether Chris' memories would ever catch up with him, allowing him to understand this new world that he had created. Sandra and the others had, however, given him the most precious possible gift before sending him off into this strange new life.

"Daddy!" his beautiful daughter squealed, capering ahead of him as the two wandered through the park.

Isabella Melinda Halliwell was his salvation, his only light in an increasingly dark world. Chris truly believed that if he hadn't had Bella and her future to fight for he would have surrendered to Wyatt long ago. For the whole time that he'd been in the past Chris had lived in fear that he would change too much and Bella would never be born. He'd convinced the elves to take care of her for him and visited whenever he could, between dealing with the sisters, vowing to make the most of whatever time they had left together.

He'd been right. He had changed enough of the past that he and Bianca had never met in the new future and Bella had never been born but as a reward for saving the world the elders and the cleaners had conspired to bring his daughter from the old timeline to the new one so Chris hadn't lost her after all. Bianca had, apparently, been killed by another witch a few years ago so even in this new future Bella would never know her mother but at least she could still grow up happily with the father that loved her more than life itself.

That had all happened a week ago, on Chris' 23rd birthday. Since then Chris had been going out of his way to avoid his family and had basically been spending all his time indulging Bella's every whim, reaffirming that they were alive and finally free. After so long being alone in the world it had been _agonising _for Chris to sense his sister, his cousins, his _mother _all alive and well again. He wanted to see them, to tell them how much he loved them and how much he'd missed them but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

What the hell was he supposed to say to them? Would he have anything in common with his siblings and his cousins anymore? By all accounts they had grown up in a safe, happy, _normal _world whereas all Chris knew was war. For that matter would they even know about the dark past that no longer was? Would Leo and the sisters have told them about the horrors that had torn their family apart in another life? How was Chris supposed to reconcile the caring brother he'd heard calling for him in his head with the deranged monster who, for nine years, had wanted him dead?

And then there was the matter of Leo and the sisters. Would they have even realised that once the timelines crossed over there was a chance he would remember the dark past? What would happen once they realised he was no longer the son/nephew they'd raised but rather the mysterious whitelighter who had once annoyed them so much? Would they be disappointed or would they be able to reaffirm the balanced, familial relationship they'd managed to develop by the time Gideon tried to kill him? Most importantly how would they react when they found out that he had a young daughter who he'd never mentioned in the entire year he'd spent with them in the past?

Chris knew he was scaring his family by avoiding them, especially because he'd missed his 23rd birthday with the family. Birthdays had always been a really big deal when his mom was alive so as she had survived in this new timeline he guessed that they would be again. His parents probably thought there was something seriously wrong with him that had caused him to miss his birthday and Chris longed to reassure them but he just didn't know what to say. He knew that he couldn't avoid them forever but he wasn't ready to face them yet.

"Yeah, princess?" he asked, drawing level with his daughter.

"Can we go for ice cream?" the two-and-a-half year old begged.

Chris swept Bella into his arms. "I think we could manage that."

"Yeah!" she squealed joyfully.

Bella's joyful innocence was infectious and Chris could feel some of the burden beginning to leave his soul. There was a long way to go before he'd be able to say he was truly happy but his beautiful daughter was his light in the darkness and so long as he had Bella Chris knew he would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

Three days later Chris couldn't ignore the angry calls of his family any longer. He deliberately picked a time to go when he sensed that his mother was the only one home, though. He knew he was going to have to face everyone eventually but for now he wanted to keep it low key. He dropped Bella at the childcare centre at Magic School and then, bracing himself, orbed to the Manor.

His mother pounced on him immediately. "Christopher Perry Halliwell, where have you been?" she screamed furiously.

Even in light of his mother's wrath Chris couldn't speak. He just stared at her in awe. Seeing her younger self in the past, eight years after the version he knew had died, was one thing but seeing her alive and well was quite another. "Y-You're alive," he finally whispered.

That stopped Piper in her tracks. Her eyes filled with tears. "C-Chris?" she whispered, reaching for him. "But Leo said you died!"

Chris nodded. "I nearly did but according to the elders by the time Gideon attacked me I'd already done enough to save the future. I faded away in your time but I was still alive. I ended up back in this time and the elders healed me just in time."

Letting out a massive sob his mother hugged him tightly. "Oh Chris!"

"I'm okay, mom," Chris mumbled, just glad that he could hug his mother again.

"Why didn't you come straight home?" Piper wanted to know.

Chris shook his head. "I couldn't, mom. It's been nine years since I could just….live and I'm not sure I know how to anymore. I wanted to straighten my head out before dealing with all of you. I can't say that I had much luck, though. And…..I don't quite know how to tell you this. There's one more thing I never told you guys when I was with you in the past."

"Chris!" Piper growled warningly.

Chris looked downwards sheepishly. "Well, you see, the thing is Bianca and I, well, we have a daughter," he blurted.

"WHAT?" Piper shrieked, looking as though she couldn't decide to just be happy she was a grandmother or angry that not only had her son gotten a demon pregnant, he'd become a parent really young.

"Isabella Melinda Halliwell," Chris said proudly, taking a strip of photos out of his wallet. "Although she prefers Bella."

He handed the photos to his mother. As far as Chris was concerned finally being able to show his beautiful daughter off was the best part of this bright new world. In his past Bella had had to be hidden away for her own protection, to keep her safe from Wyatt. Aside from him and Bianca the number of people who'd known about her could have been counted on one hand. Now, though he could show her off the way she deserved and Bella could have all the same experiences that a normal person would have when they were young.

The pictures had been taken a couple of days ago at a photo booth in the mall. Piper immediately softened when she saw them and especially when she heard what her granddaughter's middle name was. "Oh Chris, she's lovely."

"Yeah she is," Chris laughed. "Although I'm incredibly biased."

"All parents are when it comes to their own children," Piper told him. "So, she's what….half phoenix, quarter witch, quarter whitelighter?"

Chris shook his head. "She's like me, half witch half whitelighter. A person's either a phoenix or they're not, there's no middle ground. We knew all along that magically she would take after one or the other of us but not both of us. When she was being born she got stuck. When she orbed the rest of the way out it became pretty obvious who she takes after."

"And where was she when you were with us?" Piper asked. "Was she with you? Oh god, Bianca….she died when she took you back to the future."

Chris nodded sadly. "Yeah she did. We knew there was a strong possibility that one or both of us wouldn't make it through the war, though. And yeah, Bella was with me. Bianca was spending so much time undercover in Wyatt's army that it was safer for Bella to be with me. I persuaded the elves to look after her for me and spent time with her as often as I could, almost every day."

"Oh Chris, why didn't you ever say anything?" Piper asked.

Chris sighed ruefully as they moved through to the living room, his mother still holding him. "Mom, really. If I'd shown up with a little kid in the early days you guys would have assumed I'd kidnapped her to use as a human sacrifice in some sort of dark ritual, or something. And if I'd told you guys after you found out who I am you would have wanted us to move into the Manor. I couldn't ever live here, mom. There are so many memories and most of them aren't good. It was hard enough just spending the amount of time here that I did. I couldn't have handled living here."

"I understand," Piper said sadly. "Where have you two been living?"

"Oh yeah," Chris said. Sandra had told him that because the Nexus needed to be protected neither he nor Wyatt had ever been able to move away from San Francisco. Apparently in this new life getting an apartment in the city had been an option but he had still been living with his parents. "I have an apartment downtown. Apparently I got it after Bella was born."

Piper looked confused. "How is that possible? You've never moved out of home. For that matter why don't I remember Bella being born?"

Chris sighed. "Bianca was still killed in this timeline and Bella was never born. As a reward for saving the world, though the elders and the cleaners merged parts of both timelines so Wyatt was still saved but I still have my daughter. They summoned her here to this timeline from the old one for me. I guess the apartment thing was what could have happened if Wyatt wasn't a nutter the first time around."

"You don't remember this future at all, do you?" Piper enquired sadly.

Chris shook his head. "I know what the elders have told me. I've been able to sense that the whole family is alive and well and I found out that I graduated San Francisco State with a degree in media and journalism. Beyond that, no, I don't really have a clue what's going on and the elders aren't really sure whether I ever will or not."

Piper looked both saddened and excited. "Perhaps we can get the whole family together and fill in the blanks for you. None of the others, except your father and aunts, know about the old timeline but obviously they'll have to be told now."

Chris cringed. "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet, mom."

Piper gave him a long look. "Is it because of Wyatt? He's good now, sweetie."

"I know," Chris said. "I can sense it. God, it's been so weird these past few days listening to him call for me. I can hear it in his voice that he cares for me. It's so hard to reconcile that with the madman who spent nine years trying to kill me. For so many years I had to hold it together. If I didn't stay strong and stand up to Wyatt then nobody else would. I never forgot, though that he used to be my best friend but now that I can finally be around him again I just….don't want to. I know I have to but the thought of seeing him again makes me cringe. And I'm not sure what to do about Bella. Her whole life she's been taught that Wyatt's someone to fear, someone to stay away from at all costs. She's two and a half years old, mom. How am I supposed to explain all of this in a way that she'll understand?"

"I don't know, Piper admitted, looking stunned. "I guess I never thought about it like that. We will figure it out, though; together. Sweetie, you've done so much to help us. Now it's time to let us help you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chris and Piper sat in quiet contemplation for a while thinking about the difficult and emotional road that lay ahead for their family. A few minutes later, though they both jumped as the hallway outside the living room was filled with the sound of orbs and people crashing through the front door. Sensing who the visitors were Chris stared at his mother in horror. Piper looked stricken. "Oh, I am so sorry sweetie! I completely forgot!" she cried. "We've all been really worried about you and we agreed that the entire family would get together this afternoon to try and think of ways to track you down and get you to come home even if you weren't going to come willingly!"

Chris froze as his various relatives burst into the living room. His little sister, who he hadn't laid eyes on since she'd died a few weeks before Bella was born, beamed when she saw him. "Chris!" Melina squealed. "You've come home!"

"So, Piper found you on her own?" Phoebe asked.

"Bro, where have you been?" Wyatt enquired, squeezing his shoulder.

Chris reflexively leapt backwards, away from his brother, staring at the older man in horror. It suddenly occurred to him that the last time he'd seen Wyatt was when he murdered Bianca. "Do. Not. Touch. Me," he said through gritted teeth.

"What's the matter with you?" Wyatt tried to ask him through their mind link.

Horrified, Chris pushed Wyatt out of his mind with such force that his older brother was thrown clear across the room and slammed into the far wall. Thanks to his immense magical power and quick reflexes Wyatt wasn't hurt but it shocked both him and the rest of the family that his brother, who he'd always been so close to, would do that to him. Shocked, hurt and a little bit angry Wyatt scrambled to his feet and looked at Chris warily. It wasn't lost on him that mom hadn't so much as raised an eyebrow at Chris' actions. "What the hell man?" the eldest Halliwell child yelled.

"You stay away from me!" Chris snarled, glaring at Wyatt. He couldn't believe that he'd even contemplated trying to make nice with Wyatt. How was he supposed to get along with the bastard that had murdered his fiancée, the mother of his child? "Don't ever come near me again!"

"Seriously Chris," Wyatt pleaded. "Tell me what the hell's going on with you!"

"I don't take orders from you," Chris snapped.

"Wyatt, sweetie maybe it would be best for you to keep your distance," Piper said sadly. The oldest Charmed One had hoped for better but truthfully she had expected worse. Piper was still determined that one day her entire family would be united again but she now knew that there was no quick fix for this problem and her two sons were going to have to be kept apart until Chris started coming to terms with his past.

Wyatt realised that his mother knew what was going on so backed off Chris. If his brother wasn't going to tell him what was going on then hopefully his mother would. He looked at her expectantly but unfortunately Chris got there first. "I'm sorry, mom but I can't do this," he said.

"I know," Piper said sadly, knowing Chris was going to orb away. Her middle child was obviously hurting badly right now and needed to get away. If he was anything like her his child would make him feel better and as much as she wanted to force him to stay so they could start figuring out how to put their family back together she didn't have it within herself to try and stop him from getting to Bella. "Call me tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Chris said, quickly giving his mother a peck on the cheek. "I love you, mom."

"Piper?" Leo asked in amazement as his second son vanished in a flurry of orbs. "What's going on?"

The strong façade that she was putting on fell away as Chris left and Piper collapsed, shaking into her husband's arms. "Oh god!" she cried, tears filling her eyes. "Leo, Phoebe, Paige that was Chris."

"Well, duh," Wyatt said, wondering if perhaps his mother and his brother had gone insane. "Of course it was Chris."

"Our _Chris," _Piper emphasised, ignoring her first son.

"Oh god!" Paige cried, comprehension dawning on her face. "Oh my god!" It took her a while longer but Phoebe too began to cry as she realised what was going on. It was her who had figured out Chris' true identity so she had always had a special bond with the adult version of her nephew.

"How can that be possible?" Leo demanded, his voice trembling. "That's _not _possible. He died!"

Piper shook her head. She didn't think that it was a good time for everyone to find out about little Bella but an overview of the other facts wouldn't hurt. "He was still alive when he faded away. Getting stabbed by Gideon exposed who the traitor was and ensured that one of us would take him down so the future was still saved. He was brought back here, to the time in which he truly belonged, and the elders saved him just in time. That was….."

"On his birthday," Paige moaned, remembering the tragic events of the day Chris was born.

Phoebe cast a fleeting glance at Wyatt. "And can we assume that he hadn't come home since then because he still remembers what happened and doesn't want to have to deal with Wyatt?"

"What did I do?" Wyatt demanded, offended. He could feel his frustration building. He had so many questions and nobody seemed inclined to answer them. "Chris was stabbed on his birthday? Who's Gideon? For god's sake will someone please tell me what's going on?"

"Actually could someone please tell all of us what's going on?" Coop interjected quietly. "Something bad has obviously happened and if we're going to fix it the entire family needs to be on the same page."

"We agreed to never talk about it again!" Leo protested.

"They need to know, Leo," Piper said, shaking her head. "Chris still remembers everything about the old timeline and nothing about this one. Neither he nor the elders are sure whether he'll ever get any new memories. They all need to know in case he doesn't remember."

Wearily, Leo nodded and sank onto the couch, looking to Wyatt as though he was lost in a world of pain. His aunts Phoebe and Paige didn't look much better. "Well?" he demanded of his mother, the only one who wasn't totally falling apart.

And so began what was, without a doubt, the worst day in Wyatt Halliwell's life. With a guttural cry of pain he sank to the floor in horror as his parents and aunts began describing how he had torn their family apart in another life, basically destroying the entire planet, and how a wonderful witch/whitelighter had come from the future to save them.

"The man was Chris, wasn't it?" Wyatt asked thickly.

"Yes," Phoebe said sadly. "He didn't tell us who he was at first but I figured out he was Piper's after a vision."

Horror filled Wyatt's soul. "And he _died _saving me?"

"We thought he did until today," Leo said. "That's why we never told you guys about it. Apparently, though we were wrong."

Wyatt slumped backwards and his head fell into his hands. He couldn't believe this. It was no wonder Chris didn't want anything to do with him. He wouldn't want to talk, either if their roles were reversed. Chris may be alive in this time but it horrified Wyatt that in another life his brother had given his life to save him. He was the older brother. It was his job to protect Chris, not the other way around. Instead he'd gotten his little brother and their entire family killed. He was a monster and he didn't deserve to be alive.


End file.
